Paul giffard



UNITED STATES PATENT GEETCE.

PAUL GIFFARD, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

GAS REPEATlNG-GUN.

SPECIFICATION 11e-ming part of Letters Patent No. 452,882, dated May 2c, 1891.. Application tiled August 6, 1890. Serial No. 361,158. (No model.)

' To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, PAUL GIFFARD, of Paris, in the Republic of France, have invented a new Improvement in Repeating-Guns; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part ot'this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a side view of the arm complete Fig. 2, a longitudinal section enlarged, portions broken away for vertical central section on line o@ x ot' Fig. 2 on the same scale; Fig. et, a longitudinal section of the rear portion of the magazine detached; Fig. 5, a transverse section through the magazine on line a: a; of Fig. 4.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of guns which employ compressed air or gas as the force for discharge; and the invention is an improvement upon the gun for which Letters Patent of the United States No. 131,048 were granted to me December 17, 1872. Patented in France June 20, 183i); Great Britain, July 9, 1889, I\Io.11,050. In that patent a cartridge was constructed of tubular shape, closed at one end, open at the other, and provided with a valve upon the inside, so as to open inward, with a spring adapted to yieldingly hold the valve in the closed position. This cartridge was charged with air, and it was stated in the specification that liquefied gas might be employed. The gun was constructed with the barrel hinged to the receiver, so as to turn downward and forward, exposing a chamber in the receiver adapted for the insertion of the charged cartridge, and so that a bullet or projectile introduced into the rear end ot the barrel and the cartridge introduced into the chamber in the receiver with the valve rearward and the barrel then closed the arm was charged. The chamber was of such dimensions as to permit the air when it escaped from the cartridge to pass forward and expand against the projectile to drive it from the barrel. A hammer was arranged to strike a spindle longitudinally placed in the receiver, so that the blow of the hammer would open the valve for the escape of the air. While that patent described the employment ot' liquefied gas in convenience; Fig. 3, a

the cartridge, the construction is of such a character as to prevent the practical use of liquefied gas: first, because the cartridge was' 'to me February 25, 1873, I devised an arm with a magazine made as a permanent part ot' the arm, intending to charge that magazine with air and to make it of a capacity suflicient for several charges. The magazine opened into the receiver at the rear, the barrel, like the magazine, being also rigidly connected to the receiver and opening therein. The magazine was provided with a valve at its rear end opening inward, similar to that of the cartridge before referred to, the opening from the magazine communicating through a passage to the rear end of the barrel. A spindle was arranged to be struck by the ham mer to open the valve sufiiciently for the escape of a portion of the air in the magazine, and so that such air escaping would pass into the barrel in rear of a projectile which had been previously placed therein, and so as to force the projectile from the barrel under the pressure or expansion of the air. This arm, while containing several charges and so as to some extent operate as a repeating-gun, was incapable for obvious reasons of being charged with liquefied gas.

The object of my present invention is the construction of a gun combining with it a magazine capable of storing av quantity of liquefied gas sufficient for a large number of charges, and which may be employed as a practical repeating-gun for any purpose for which guns are ordinarily employed; and the invention consists in a receiver, a barrel attached to the forward end ot' the receiver and opening at the rear into the receiver, combined with a magazine, the magazine and receiver constructed for rigidly but detachably connecting the magazine, the magazine provided with a valve at the receiver end open- IOO the holder returned, as seen in Fig. 2.

ing inward, the receiver constructed with a passage leading from the said valve to the "open rear end of the barrel, the said passage provided with means for the introduction of a projectile into line with the barrel with a hammer, and mechanism between said hainmer and valve, whereby the blow of the hammer will cause an opening movement of the said valve to permit the escape of a small portion of the gas with which the magazine 'may be charged, the reaction of the pressure upon the inside of the valve overcoming the force of the blow of the hammer, so as to close the valve so soon as the requisite quantity of gas for the discharge shall have escaped, thus holding` in reserve the remainder of the gas for succeeding charges, and as more fully hereinafter described.

In illustrating the gun I show it as applied to an arm. A represents the receiver, constructed for attachment to a stock B at the rear in the usual manner for attaching the receiver to the stock of tire-arms. To the forward end of the receiver the barrel C is attached, also in the usual manner of rigidly attaching barrels to the receiverof fire-arms, the barrel opening rearward into a corresponding passage D in the receiver. In the receiver, transversely across this passage, a rotating projectile-holder F is arranged, (see Figs. 2 and 3,) it being provided upon its outer end with a suitable handle F, by which the projectile-holder may be rotated. This holder has an opening diametrically through it corresponding to the passage I), as seen in Fig. 2, and through the top of the receiver is an opening G onto this projectile-holder, so that when the holder is turned to bring the opening through it intoline with the opening G of the receiver, asindicated in broken lilies, Fig. 2, the projectile may be dropped through the said opening G into the holder and then The passage D extends by preference directly through the rear end of the receiver, and. into that rear end abreech-pin His screwed, which securely closes the rear end of that passage, the breech-pin also serving a second purpose,` which will be presently described.

Irepresents themagazine. (Shown detach ed in Fig. 4.) Thisniagazine is a strong tube, closed at its forward end, and at its rear end is constructed for rm and rigid attachment to the receiver. As here illustrated, this attachment consists of a screw-thread J on the rear end of the magazine adapted to enter a correspondingly screw-threaded recess in the forward end of the receiver, as seen in Fig. 2. This construction permits the ready detachment or application of the magazine, as occasion may require.

The rear end of the magazine is open, and is constructed with a valve chamber K, with a communication. L from the magazine proper into said valve-chamber, and into the rear end of the valve-chamber a Valveseat L is introduced,held by a tubular plug M, screwed into the rear end of the magazine vupon the valve-seat, there being a passage `passage R is connected by a passage S to the passage D, leading to the barrel, thus forniing a continuous passage from the magazine to the barrel through the projectile-holder E.

Through the receiver at the rear a spindle T is introduced, extending through the passage R, and so as to enter the rear end of the magazine through the passage N and rest against the valve O, as seen in Fig. 2. This spindle extends through the rear end of the magazine, where it is provided with a suitable head U. In the receiver in rear of the head U of the spindle T the hammer V is hung upon a pivot lV in the usual manner of hanging the hammer of tire-arms, and the hammer is provided with the usual mainspring X, and a trigger Y is also arranged, which is adapted to engage the hammer in the cocked position or release it therefrom, as usual in the locks of fire-arms. The pivot of the hammer is be- IOO low the head U of the spindle T, but so that the hammer may strike the said head of the spindle nnderthe reaction of the mainspring. The normal position of the hammer is represented in solid lines, Fig. 2, where it rests against the head of the spindle T, the pressure upon the inside of the valve serving to hold the hammer in that position from the front, while the mainspring opposes such action of the valve-spring. As the hammer is discharged from the cocked position the momentum which it attains under the action of the mainspring is sufficient, for instance, to overcome the power of the valve-spring, so that the hammer under such momentum will moved forward, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 2, and which forward movement willimpart a corresponding forward movement to the spindle, and thereby open the valve to the extent of such movement, but immediately the reaction ot' the pressure upon the inside when a less extent of movement of the opening of the valve is required, or inward when a greater extent of openingis required. This construction of the breech-pin Il as both the regulator and breech-pin permits the construction of thc receiver with the passage D directly in line with the barrel and open at the extreme rear, so that by removing the breech-pin at any time the interior of the barrel will be exposed from front to rear. This is a great convenience in the use of the arm.

The valve O of the magazine is of a shape. with relation to the valve-cliamber K that when the valve is open there is a free passage from m1the magazine through the valvechamber into the passage N, or vice versa.

The plug M is made removable both for the convenience of the introduction of the valve and for the examination of the valve and seat should occasion require.

The magazine is removed from the receiver and is charged with liqueed gas-tliat is, with gas such as carbonio-acid gas compressed to liquefaction. Then the magazine replaced and firmly attached to the receiver, as before described, the gun is ready for use. The projectile-holder is turned to open to the passage G, the projectile is placed in the holder, and then the holder returned,as seen in Fig. 2. The hammer is then cocked, and upon its discharge will operate through the spindle T to open the valve for the escape of the requisite quantity of the said liquefied gas, which, passing' through the passage against the projectile, expands and produces the discharge of the projectile with a corresponding force.

It is iinpracticable for individuals to possess and operate the apparatus for charging the magazines with the liquefied gas.

By making the magazines detachable from the receiver, but yet rigidly secured thereto, as if a permanent part of the gun, the magazines are adapted to be taken to an apparatus for conveniently charging the same with liquefied gas.

The magazines being so independent of the gun,numerous magazines may be charged to accompany a single gun, or the magazines may be charged and sold in the market, they being adapted to be interchangeably attached to the gun.

While illustrating the holder E as a means for introducing the projectile, it will be evi- 'dent that various other equally well known devices may be substituted therefor, such devices being too well known to require illustration; or it may be omitted entirely and the projectile introduced from the muzzle of the barrel, as a muzzle-loader.

From the foregoing it will be understood that Iclaim nothing in this application shown or described in my beforementioned prior patent; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A gun composed of a receiver, a barrel attached to the receiver and open at its rear end to the receiver, the receiver constructed with a passage forming substantially .a continuation of the barrel, combined with a magazine adapted to contain liqueed gas and constructed to be removably but rigidly attached to the receiver, the rear end of the magazine opening` into the receiver, the receiver constructed with a passage leading from said opening in the magazine to the barrel, a valve at the rear end of the magazine opening inward against the pressure from within the magazine and adapted to normally hold the passage from the magazine to the receiver closed, with a hammer and mechanism between said hammer and said valve, substantially as described, and whereby under the blow of the hammer the said valve is open for the escape of a portion of the gas from the magazine.

2. A magazine for a gun substantially such as described, the said magazine constructed to be removably but rigidly attached to the gun and constructed at its rear end with a valve-chamber, a valve in said chamber arranged to open inward against pressure from within the magazine, and a spring in said chamber adapted to yieldingly hold the valve in its closed position, the said magazine being adapted to contain liquefied gas for repeated charges for the gun, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a gun, of a receiver having a barrel attached at its forward end opening into a passage in the receiver corresponding with the bore of the barrel, the said passage in the receiver opening at the rear of the receiver, a breech-pin screwed into and so as to close the rear end of said passage, but projecting therefrom, a hammer hung in the receiver and moving in the plane of said breech-pin, the said breech-pin serving as an adjustment for the blow of the hammer, a detachable magazine adapted to contain liquefied gas and also adapted for rigid attachment to the receiver, a valve in the rear end of said magazine opening inward against the pressureinthe magazine, and apassageleading from said valve and communicating with the said passage from the receiver leading to the barrel, with mechanism between the said hammer and valve, substantially as described, whereby the force of said hammer produces an opening movement of the said valve and the reaction upon the rear of the valve closes said valve.

rAnL einmal).

Witnesses:

Vieron VEYsY, JOHN E. EARLE.

ICC

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